Blade
by larskygiraffe4
Summary: Samone a.k.a.: Blade, the daughter of Baron Strucker, decides to leave her life of crime behind and abandones her father and all that she knew for a better life. She had never intended to become a super-hero, but when her path brings her across one, she has a choice to make; one that will change the rest of her life. Hawkeye/Samone
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. Samone is the only part of this that is mine**

Hawkeye stood on the roof of the abandoned building. His Avengers ID was in his hand, broken for the fifth or so time. Tony was going to be so mad at him. Last time, he had threatened Hawkeye with the consequences of what would happen if he needed another one. Not that Hawkeye had paid any attention of course; he could take old metal-muscle any day, with or without the armor. What worried him most at the moment was the fact that he had fallen off a one story building when he had been asleep, and hadn't woken up until he hit the ground (with no more than a couple bruises). He was supposed to be on the "neighborhood watch", as he was so fond of calling it, but he had fallen asleep on the job. Now, should trouble turn up, he would be facing it on his own, without a means of calling in back-up.

"That's just great! Damn technology!" He exclaimed angrily. "I'm starting to agree with Thor." He slapped the useless piece of junk a couple of times for good measure.

The Avenger continued to examine the device for a means of fixing it, but he knew that his hopes were slim. He was no Tony Stark when it came to technology.

Unknown to Hawkeye, a woman observed him from an adjacent rooftop. The woman was young, with a long, slim body. Her dark hair was bound into a tight ponytail, and her black eyes took in the super-hero with a cool and calculating gaze. She wore relatively-tight, black-leather pants. Her long-sleeved t-shirt was loose and baggy, but was hidden by her combat vest. The soft-leather boots she wore allowed her to move swiftly, but silently as she went about her business. Hidden beneath her clothing were several knives of different lengths, weights, and purposes. And she knew how to use every one of them.

The archer was a curious one; the woman, called Samone, recognized him as a member of the team called the "Avengers". She had seen many things in her life, but she was particularly intrigued by this group of "heroes". With their skills, they could be whatever, do whatever they pleased; they could be the best assassins in the world. Hell, they could probably even take over a country's government and set up a dictatorship which they controled, but they chose this life of putting away super-villains who wish to harm society. It amazed her. Perhaps, if she had been raised as they had, she might not have ended up in her current predicament. She would have given anything if she only could give up her past, but there was one thing you cannot erase: your blood. She had been born into this, and now even this man, this self-proclaimed _super-hero_, below her would shoot her on sight.

The Avenger was preoccupied at the moment; he appeared to be toying with some sort of device, and, judging by the amount of cusswords that reached her ears, it wasn't going very well.

It was impossible to see what the man looked like; he wore a mask. Still, he looked familiar. She knew he was part of the Avengers, but she felt like she had at some point in time come into contact with this mysterious archer. Frowning, Samone tried to place him. It was highly probable that she had fought him before, or, more likely, had been sent to kill him.

Glancing back at the man, her thoughts froze. Approaching the Avenger from behind was the Grim Reaper. Samone glanced back at the super-hero, who was toying with the gadget in his hand, completely unawares. She watched the scene unfold in helpless dismay. She had no reason to care what happened to a super-hero, who had no doubt given her and her friends countless grief, but, at the same time, she was leaving that life behind her. The old Samone would have helped the Reaper, but the new one was attempting to leave all that behind. Doesn't reforming her ways demand that she at least call a warning? There was another reason for her holding back: the Grim Reaper would recognize her. He had often worked closely with her colleagues, and she had met with him to deal business on several occasions. If he saw her, then word would get out to the whole criminal community that there was a traitor.

Samone had to decide fast what course her life would take. This was a turning point for her. The Grim Reaper approached the oblivious Avenger with a smile over his twisted face. She had mere seconds before the criminal attacked his unsuspecting victim. An unexpected blow from the Reaper had the potential to dangerously harm, or even kill. Samone had seen countless victims fall to his stealth attacks- one of whom had, ironically, betrayed him. It was do or let die time.


	2. Chapter 2

There was nothing to it; her body reacted without her telling it to. It was as if being good was her natural instinct, but it just needed the chance to prove that it was there.

She sprinted and jumped in front of the Avenger right as the Grim Reaper sent an energy ball of deadly intent towards the hero. Samone had a vague sense of thinking, _"Oh shit!"_, right before impact. The energy ball hit her back straight on and sent her flying past Hawkeye. Her head slammed into the roof and she continued to roll . . . right off the top of the building.

Hawkeye spun around at the loud yell he heard behind him. he instantly went into fight mode, ready for anything. What he saw threw him off guard. A woman went sailing past him and off the rooftop before he could so much as draw his bow. Normally, he would have been dumbfounded by this odd happening, but he had no time to think it through as he sprinted and dove off the roof in an attempt to save her. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the daunting form of the malicious Grim Reaper.

Perfectly estimating the distance he would need before he reached the downed woman, Clint shot an arrow with a rappel line attached. The arrow buried its head in the side of the building and went taut just as the hero swept the damsel in distress into his arms and threw her over his shoulder. The man and the unconscious woman swung towards the building and crashed through a window. Hawkeye did his best to prevent the woman from being hurt as they crash-landed in the broken glass scattered across the floor. Hawkeye gave the woman a once-over and ascertained that she hadn't sustained any major injuries or lacerations. Her only apparent injury appeared to be where the Reaper's energy blast had apparently hit her. That was when the Avenger realized that this woman had jumped in front of him and had taken a hit that had been meant for him. He looked at her with a newfound respect as he realized the gravity of what she had done. Clint was determined to make sure that she would come out of this alright.

Once he was satisfied that his savior was not severly wounded, Hawkeye leaned back onto the floor and regained his breath. He gasped as he felt a piece of glass dig into his back. He was lucky to have only a few minor cuts; he could easily have had a large piece of glass sticking out of his throat.

Unfortunately, the two of them couldn't stay long. No doubt the Grim Reaper would be along any minute. This was only a temporary sanctuary. Hawkeye looked around for his bow and saw it . . . under the foot of the Grim Reaper. Forcing his body to respond, the Avenger pushed himself up and placed himself between the villain and the unconscious girl. Whatever his chances of beating the Reaper were without his bow, he would do all in his power to protect the innocent civilian who had taken a hit for him.

The Grim Reaper let a cruel and ugly smile slowly cross his face as he observed the scene before him; an injured, weaponless Avenger without a means of calling back-up, who was trying to defend an injured woman. Then, to Clint's annoyance, his enemy laughed.

The Avenger took the moment to try and take charge of the situation, "Give it up Grim Reaper! You've lost the element of surprise, and I'm giving you this one chance to leave before the rest of the Avengers show up."

The Reaper, un-fooled, replied, "Oh, I don't think the Avengers will be coming. As to the element of surprise, I hardly need it now that you are without your little toy." He bent down and picked up Hawkeye's bow. That was crossing the line. Hawkeye almost jumped at the villain then and there, but resisted because he knew that first and foremost, he had to protect the civilian. The Reaper tossed the bow behind him, well out of Hawkeye's reach. Then, the villain said, "You have no idea how sweet this is; catching both an Avenger and a traitor. Now, Hydra will have to forgive me for my past failure."

"Traitor?" Hawkeye asked, confused.

The Grim Reaper let out another bone-chilling laugh before replying, "You don't know, do you? It would almost be worth it to let you keep her and see what happens. But, I can't just let this opportunity pass by." The Reaper's blade extended from his arm, and Hawkeye was left thinking of a way out. Normally, he could just dodge and wait for an opening, but he couldn't risk the villain getting hold of the woman.

The Reaper took a step forward, and then fell with a yell of pain. Hawkeye had seen something fly by him out of the corner of his eye. Confused, he turned around just in time to see the woman, who had been unconscious, up and glaring at the Reaper. Her eyes kept moving in and out of focus and her arms shook as she stood there. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay up any longer and collapsed. Hawkeye, who was already at her side, caught her as she fell.

Still mildly confused as to what had happened, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent glanced back to where the Grim Reaper had collapsed, only to discover that the man was now gone. Despite the fact that he had no idea what had just happened, Hawkeye got the feeling that this woman, this innocent stander-by, had saved his life for the second time that day.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane Foster had diagnosed the mysterious woman with a coma. The energy ball the Reaper had thrown at her had only left a bruise and slight burn mark; that would heal. What worried them all was the fact that she hadn't woken up in two days. During that time, Jane had paid several visits to the mansion to check up on the woman.

They had decided to keep the strange woman at the mansion rather than at the hospital because they were afraid of what might happen to her. The Grim Reaper had said that he would have liked to bring her to Hydra, which meant there might be others out looking for her. They were all very curious as to what interest this woman could be to the super-villain community. Obviously she wasn't just a nobody, as Hawkeye had first suspected. The Avengers had been trying to find out as much as they could about her, with little luck. They had found several knives on her person, which was very interesting.

At the moment, they were all waiting for Tony to get back from his visit with the Fantastic Four. He had access to resources that might be able to help. They could have asked S.H.I.E.L.D., who probably had some information on her, but none of them trusted the agency at the moment.

Hawkeye was now sitting next to the woman's bed in the infirmary of the mansion. She was a very beautiful woman, with long, muscular limbs. Her sharp face was surrounded by her flowing, dark hair. Hawkeye noted how peaceful she looked as she was "sleeping", as he kept calling her coma. Clint hardly ever left her side. He felt so guilty; it was his fault that she was in a coma now. He had heard so many stories of people who never come out of comas . . . .

No, he couldn't think like that. She would wake up. He would make sure that he found a way to make her better. He owed her a debt, and he would make good on that debt. She just needed to wake up. It wasn't fair that someone who had risked her life for him should be stuck in this lifeless state, when the scum like the Grim Reaper ran about free and untouched. Barton had to at least know the name of the woman who had saved his life.

Turning to where the woman was lying, he asked, "What should I do?" He wasn't sure if he had expected an answer, but she stayed eerily silent, like . . . . He cut the thought off and stood up abruptly, wanting to distract himself from all of the confusing thoughts that continued to plague his mind.

He went out into the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind him. Hawkeye then walked down the hall, searching for someone or something to entertain him. He found it in the form of a giant green mountain. The Hulk turned as Clint approached.

The big green giant smiled and said, "Getting tired of your sleeping beauty already? Have you tried giving her a kiss?"

Normally, Hawkeye would have had some smartass comment to throw back at the Hulk, as the two often verbally sparred, but the archer wasn't feeling up to it. He simply shook his head, much to the Hulk's astonishment. As Hawkeye walked past with his head hung, the Hulk gazed at him in puzzlement.

"Does Cupid need me to smash?" the Hulk asked, not knowing how else to deal with a situation like this.

Barton sighed and said, "I'm alright, big guy. Just go bother Jan or someone."

_I need to get out and take down some bad guys_, Hawkeye thought. Maybe that would make him feel better. With that idea in mind, he headed to his own room to grab his mask and arrows. After suiting up, he went down to the lobby. Just as he was about to open the doors, they were pushed inwards and Hawkeye was forced to jump back in order to avoid being hit. As he did so, he instinctively nocked an arrow to his bow and aimed it at the center of the doorway, where Ironman now stood.

Tony retracted his Ironman helmet and cocked an eyebrow at Hawkeye, "Expecting someone else?"

Relaxing and lowering his weapon, Clint replied, "I was just about to go out . . . . But now that you're here, you can have a look at the infirmed woman we have downstairs."

"Well, you can still go out while I see what I can find," Ironman said this as a gentle jibe at the archer, who, so the team had told him, had refused to leave the woman's bedside. Jan had told Tony how eager Clint has been for Ironman to come back and dig up some information on the girl.

"No," Hawkeye didn't even notice that Ironman had been joking, "I might as well come with you. I'm curious as to who my savior is."

Tony turned around as a smile crossed his face. Instead of replying, he made his way to the lower levels, where the infirmary and training room were. Hawkeye followed silently behind, barely making a sound with his feet, let alone his mouth, which was almost never silent. His teammate's unusual behavior bothered Ironman, who had grown to like and care for the light-hearted archer.

They met Captain America, who was coming from the training room. Steve smiled upon seeing Tony and said, "Glad to have you back, Tony. Where are you guys heading?"

Tony replied, "I'm going to try and scan the face of our mystery woman and see if Jarvis can find anything in a database."

"Ah, yes. I had forgotten about our guest. Truth be told, I have heard a lot about her but haven't actually seen her for myself. Mind if I come along?"

"Sure, whatever," Hawkeye said impatiently, "Just can we please _go_ already?"

Clint stomped off into the infirmary, leaving Tony and Steve exchanging confused glances. Shrugging, they both followed the exasperated hero.

All three of them stood around the bed of the comatose woman, all of them having different expression on their faces.

Steve was the first to speak, "Well, this is strange, but I feel as if I recognize her from somewhere."

"Actually, she does ring a bell in my head as well," Ironman said. Both men scrunched their faces up in concentration as they tried to recall where they had seen this woman before. Unfortunately, with how many people they came across in any given week, it was impossible to pick this girl's face out of the crowd.

"Well, I guess I should get started then," Tony pulled his ironman helmet back on. He instructed Jarvis to run a scan of the woman's face and try to find a match within first the Avengers database, then, should that fail, any other databases. The scan took about a minute, during which time Clint spent anxiously looking back and forth between Tony and the woman. After the scan, Jarvis started searching through the Avengers database. Ironman put his helmet back up whilst he waited for a match.

Hawkeye looked back at him with an intense expression on his face. "Well?"

"Jarvis is scanning our database for a match right now. If she is in our database, then it should take ten to twenty minutes. If she isn't, then he will try to search any other available databases."

Clint sighed and took a seat next to the bed. Tony and Steve decided to leave and come back when Jarvis had some results. When they were back in the hallway and had shut the door behind them, Steve turned abruptly to Tony and said, "I'm worried about Hawkeye. He is acting very strange."

"He is acting weird, well, weird for Hawkeye. I think he feels guilty, you know, about the whole someone taking a hit for him. He's the hero; in his mind, he's the one who's supposed to be risking his life for the innocent people. It kind of makes sense, but I wish he would just stop moping around; he's affecting the whole team."

"Maybe we should talk to him."

Ironman was already shaking his head, "No, Hawkeye was trained in S.H.I.E.L.D. to be a hardened, tough agent. He wouldn't take it too kindly if we started trying to tell him to stop letting his head get to him. I'm sure he thinks the exact same thing every day, and it's probably pulling him apart inside. It's best if we just let him be to figure all this out for himself."

Steve nodded and the two of them went to the "assembly room", where the Avengers met before a mission to be debriefed, if there was time. It was there that they would receive the results of Jarvis' searching. Even if this woman was just a common city-dweller, which she wasn't, then she would still show up in the system somewhere. It was only a matter of time.

The two of them sat around chatting for awhile. Eventually Wasp came down and checked on their progress, but left upon hearing that they had nothing. After about a half an hour, Jarvis came over the room's sound systems, "Sir, I have found a match over several databases."

"Who is she, Jarvis?"

"Sir, her codename is Blade, but her real name is Samone Strucker."


	4. Chapter 4

Ironman burst back into the infirmary, startling Jane Foster and Hawkeye as they watched over the woman known as Samone.

Hawkeye scowled and said, "Quiet! You'll wake her."

Ironman stopped and gave him an 'are you serious' look. "_She's in a coma Hawkeye!_ I don't think she'll be waking up anytime soon, and a good thing too."

That pissed him off. The archer whipped around and stood up in a fighting stance, "A good thing? Who the hell do you think you are anyway? She's a victim here!"

"Hawkeye, step away from her. She's not who you think she is. She needs to be put into a secure facility for villains. The Cube, maybe?"

"_Don't. Touch. Her._" His words held a threat that didn't need to be spoken. Tony knew this would be difficult, but it had to be done. Clint would understand in time.

"Hawkeye . . . Jarvis found her identity."

Hawkeye didn't move, so Ironman carried on, "Her codename is Blade. But her real name is Samone Strucker."

Tony watched Clint for a reaction. He only said, "Yeah, so?"

Letting out a frustrated breath, Stark continued, "So . . . she is Baron Strucker's daughter. You know, _Hydra's_ Baron Strucker!"

"Just because they have the last name doesn't prove anything."

"Jarvis ran a DNA match; she is. I'm sorry, Hawkeye. I know she saved you, but you owe her nothing. She's evil, just like the rest of Hydra."

"You're not touching her! She saved my life and attacked the Reaper; maybe she's changed. Maybe she decided that she was tired of Hydra."

Tony scoffed, "What! She's evil, a super-villain. Born and bred; there's no changing that. No matter how many people she saves, she will never, EVER be a hero. Now we need to take her to prison for scum like her."

"Don't you even dare call her that! Who the hell are you to talk about changing? You produced weapons for war! If that isn't evil, I don't know what is. You gave that up and redeemed_ yourself_, but she can't? _That is bullshit_ _Stark_!"

"This isn't about redemption! She's done bad things, illegal things. She will have to go to prison either way. This isn't our decision, Hawkeye. This is out of our hands. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be here tomorrow morning to transport her to one of their secure facilities."

As Ironman turned to go, Hawkeye placed a hand on his shoulder, "You can't do this! This isn't right, and you know it, Stark. Don't do this."

"I'm sorry Hawkeye, I really am, but I have nothing else to say on the matter." With that, Tony turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hawkeye alone and destitute.

"I'm sorry," he turned in surprise to see Jane Foster looking at him. He had forgotten about her. "I know it means a lot to have someone save your life, and I'm sorry. I wish I could help." With that, Jane left the room.

Clint stood there for a minute, at a loss of what he should do. It wasn't like he could just run away with the woman . . . Samone. She was in a coma, and he probably wouldn't get too far anyways. His other option would be to talk to Nick Fury, but the two of them were still on less-than-friendly terms.

Sighing in defeat, he sat back down next to Samone and took her warm hand in both of his.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I tried my hardest, but I won't let them take you without a fight . . . Samone."

Clint decided to seek out help. He knew that the Hulk would help him. If they could just keep the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents away for a little while, then there was hope, however foolish a hope it was. Barton got up and walked out of the room with determination on his face and justice in his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Hawkeye met the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at the entrance to the secret underground part of the Avengers mansion. He stood against the hidden door with his arms folded, startling the agents and Ironman as they came to a halt, obviously appalled by his appearance. They were fools if they expected him to give up that easily. Tony was prepared though, as he came in his armor.

To Hawkeye's dismay, Mockingbird was amongst the agents attending, along with Nick Fury and Maria Hill. This might be more fun than he had originally thought.

"A little early for tours, isn't it Stark?" Hawkeye asked in a feigned light tone.

Ironman was all too familiar with that false bravado that Clint often put on in these situations. He had hoped to avoid this by having the agents come at five in the morning. Apparently Clint had thought that he would do just that.

"Hawkeye . . ." Tony began.

"If you don't move your ass out of the way, then we will arrest you for aiding and abetting a member of the super-villain community," Maria interrupted Stark. She took a step forward to drive home her threat. Hawkeye knew that she was just dying to take him out, but he knew if it came down to him versus Maria, then he would win. Now with four other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents here, that was another matter entirely.

Barton just grinned from ear to ear, knowing he would enjoy what came next. "Oh, I don't think my friend would be too pleased with that." He looked over all their shoulders to where the Hulk stood with the usual scowl on his face. Hill even took a step backwards in surprise as the big guy pushed forward to stand next to Hawkeye. There was no way these people would be stupid enough to attack Hawkeye when the Hulk was backing him up.

Maria turned to Tony, "If you don't have your men stand down, then we will be forced to treat your entire team as a threat. I mean it Tony."

"Hill," Fury stepped forward, "you do not have that authority. We are working with the Avengers until I say we aren't. Now, Barton, Hulk, we don't want to hurt anybody. We just want to check out the situation. If we take her to one of our facilities,, then she will have a much higher chance of recovering than she does here. You don't have the medical expertise of our scientists and doctors. . . ."

"I know what 'recovery' means to you guys! Once she recovers, then you will keep her locked up in there, not even giving her a chance to prove herself!"

"You're awful protective of someone you haven't even met," Mockingbird commented coolly.

"Yea, well maybe I just know what it's like to try and make up for my past. I believe everyone deserves a second chance."

"And we want to give her a second chance," Fury interrupted before Mockingbird could send another barb at Clint. "But she can't get that second chance if she's stuck in a coma for the next ten years."

For the first time, Hawkeye looked torn, as he didn't have a response to that. Tony knew that they were gaining ground, "Look, Hawkeye, if you would just let their doctor check her out to determine the extent of the damage in her brain, then we can decide where to go from there."

Clint looked down at the ground before relaxing his tense muscles, signaling to Ironman that he wasn't going to fight. The archer looked up at the Hulk, who looked down on him with a face full of confusion at his friend's actions. Stepping aside, the two of them made way for Tony and his escort. The five S.H.I.E.L.D. agents walked by, followed by Tony, who stopped and put his hand of Hawkeye's shoulder, making him look up. "Thank you Hawkeye. You don't know how much it means that you trust me this much."

"I didn't do it for you," he replied before turning and following Nick Fury down to the infirmary.

Downstairs, Fury, Mockingbird, and Hill were gathered around Samone's bed while the other two agents waited outside with a glaring Hawkeye. The doctor Fury had brought with him was running some scans with equipment from one of their facilities. Clint kept looking for signs as to what the girl's state was, but he yielded no clues from the face of the doctor, much to his agitation. He eventually took to pacing up and down the hallway in front of the doorway.

"What's the damage, doc?" Stark asked from the chair he was sitting in.

The doctor was scrutinizing a piece of paper and took a while to answer the question, "That's just it, there isn't any. Her brain is completely healed."

At this, Clint abruptly shoved past the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and into the tightly-packed room. "What do you mean, there's no damage? Then why is she in a coma?"

"Well, based on my readings, she shouldn't be, may not be. Even if she had been before, she is completely healed."

Pushing Maria Hill aside, Hawkeye leaned over Samone's bed and looked at her, expecting her to look different somehow. She didn't. She looked exactly as she had the first day she had been brought in. Hesitantly, Clint said, "Samone?"

For a moment, nothing happened . . . then her eyes opened.


	6. Chapter 6

That was when all hell broke loose. Everyone started shouting and moving at the same time. The two agents outside the infirmary began pushing their way into the already-overflowing room. Mockingbird and Hill were putting some restraints on Samone, or, rather, _trying_ to put restraints on Samone. Hawkeye was standing in between them and her, yelling at the two S.H.I.E.L.D. women to back off, while Fury was trying to issue order amongst his people. Tony had gotten up from his seat and was trying to separate everyone so that a fight didn't break out.

" . . . Yes, you're right, Hawkeye, she's _awake_! Which means she is a liability and is now a threat!"

"The only threat I see here is you!"

"We need to talk to her, Barton. You agreed to let us take her."

"Yea, but now that she's awake, she no longer needs your 'medical expertise'."

Hill took out her gun and aimed it point blank at Clint's head, making the super-hero narrow his eyes as he shifted into a fighting stance.

"You wouldn't," Hawkeye said.

"Just give me a reason."

"I need to talk to her," Hawkeye replied, ignoring the threat.

"No, _we_ need to talk to her, so move it."

Tony managed to squeeze in between Hill and Barton, though he kept his Ironman helmet over his face since he didn't totally trust Maria with a blaster to his head. "Everyone, just calm down! We're all on the same side here . . . ."

"Are we really?" Hawkeye interjected.

Ignoring him, Ironman continued, "Why can't we just work together? All this fighting is giving me a headache. It's like babysitting a bunch of toddlers."

Fury, finally having a chance to be heard now that everyone was silent, said, "Stark's right. We don't need to fight over this. I'm sure we can work something out like grown-ups, don't you think, Hill?"

The agent didn't look at him, but she did lower her gun, though she didn't holster it. "That's more like it," Fury continued. "Now, how about Hill and I get to question her first. Then Hawkeye and Tony can talk to her all they want."

Clint was already shaking his head. "No, I want to talk to her first. And I want to be present during your so-called 'questioning'."

Fury was about to interrupt when his cell phone rang. He quickly glanced at it and looked up with his eyebrow raised. Then, he answered his phone, "Yea?"

"Think about it, Fury," Tony's voice came only over the cell. "She saved him and will probably trust him more than us. Hawkeye can break the ice, so to speak."

Not looking at Ironman, who was standing still and looking at Fury like everyone else, Nick replied, "Alright, that's fine," before hanging up,

"Sorry about that," he said to the whole group. "Alright Hawkeye, the floor's all yours. We will wait outside so that there's some air left to breath in here."

Fury led his agents and Ironman into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. Clint finally had the chance to get answers out of this woman; this mysterious woman who had so rapidly changed his life.

During that whole argument, everyone had completely forgotten about the woman who they had been arguing about. She was sitting up in bed, giving him a look that was partly confused and partly amused. Her dark hair, which hadn't seen a brush or shower in several days, was still perfectly shiny and straight. The stunning face, which he had been stunned by on their first meeting, was looking rather gaunt and thin due to her diet while she had been in a coma.

"Where am I?" were the first words to come out of her mouth. Hawkeye had never heard her speak before. Her voice, while soft, held authority and confidence. No doubt she could handle herself.

Clint briefly, and impatiently, explained what had transpired since Samone had slipped into a coma. Her face remained neutral during the entire story, unnerving Hawkeye, who wanted some clue as to what she was thinking. Once he had explained everything, Samone simply said, "Thank you, for everything you did for me. You didn't have to."

Hawkeye was speechless for a minute before replying, "Didn't have to? You saved my life _twice_ and 'I didn't have to'? I still owe you! All I want to know is, why?"

Samone looked away, and Clint thought that maybe she wouldn't answer him, but she eventually said, "Why? Because it was the right thing to do. I was there, and I was in a position to keep a horrible person from hurting a good one. That's why."

"Are you really Hydra?"

"Oh, you know about that, huh? I was, am, Baron Strucker's daughter. But parentage doesn't define a person. I decided that I wanted a better life, one that didn't involve killing and threatening people. I was . . . I was just tired of being evil. I mean, I know that sounds stupid, but the things I did, that Hydra does, can't be defined as anything else. I decided that my only option was to run away and try to reform myself, maybe make up for some of the damage I've done. I'm not a bad person, I've just done some bad things. But, yes, my name is Samone Strucker, and I was known under the codename Blade. Does that answer your question?"

"Oh, um . . . I'm Clint, Clint Barton. Best and brightest Avenger, also known as Hawkeye. But yes, that does answer my question. They all think you're still a super-villain, but I knew, if that were the case, you wouldn't have saved me back there. So, thanks."

"Don't you want to know what I can do?"

"Um . . . sorry?"

"What I can do, like how you have archery."

"Oh, yea. Of course."

Smiling, Samone continued, "Well, I have honed my skills with a dagger to the point of where you are with your bow. I never miss, which came in handy back when the Baron had me doing assassinations, I suppose," her tone turned bitter towards the end as she talked about her father. "But I also can do things like convert energy. Like throwing energy balls and blowing things up, but it's not very sound. I have no control over that, so I rarely use it."

"Well that's cool . . . not the part about the not being able to control it, but . . . ."

Ironman and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents listened in the hallway, taking in everything that Samone had said.

"Ok, Stark. If you think you can do this, then I'm all for it. Get her on board, and she can be a great asset, to both of us," Fury told Ironman.

Nodding, ironman walked into the infirmary, with his helmet off as a show of good faith.

Both Samone and Hawkeye turned to look at him as he walked in, Samone in a friendly and slightly wary way, while Hawkeye's gaze was full of suspicion. Tony had to suppress a sigh. Clint was never very trusting of anyone, but he had every reason to trust Stark, who had taken him into the team and given him a meaning to his life. Hopefully, he could also give meaning to this girl's.

"After hearing everything you have said," Hawkeye opened up his mouth, no doubt to voice a protest at them eavesdropping, but Ironman pushed on before the archer could get a word in. " . . .we have decided that we owe you for saving our team member. We also would like to commend you for changing the way you live. I know it isn't easy, especially since you were forced to leave behind your family and friends as well, but it'll be worth it. We were hoping you could start out your new lifestyle here, with us, as the newest member of the Avengers."


	7. Chapter 7

The Avengers all sat around the table in their "command center", as the Captain called it. Tony was late, again. They were all gossiping about Stark's latest development as they waited for him to show.

Silence fell as the door to the center was flung open to admit Ironman followed by the mysterious Samone Strucker. All eyes were on the girl, who was clearly uncomfortable under their gazes. While they were always welcoming to new members, there was always a newbie test where they had to prove themselves.

"Listen up, everyone," Tony began. "I'm sure that, by now, you are all familiar with Miss Samone here. And I'm sure that you are all aware that I have offered her a spot on our team . . . which she has accepted!"

This was immediately followed by various exclamations of, "Welcome to the team" and "Good to have you." While the Avengers had become a tight-knit group, they were all well-aware that adding new members would only make them stronger. Since this girl had won over Tony's approval and Hawkeye's undying loyalty, then she must have the right stuff.

"Thank you, all of you," Samone began. "I am honored to have received this position, and promise to always remain loyal to the Avengers. This being said, I also wish to give up my past. I don't want anyone to call me by my last name or even say it. From now on, you may call me either Samone, or Blade."

Everyone nodded their understanding. Many of them had had parts of their former lives that they had renounced as well. Hawkeye, most of all, could sympathize with her situation.

Clint, who had been sitting at the end of the semi-circular table, pulled a chair up next to his, saying, "Here you go, Blade. Your own official chair at the table of the Avengers. Now, I'm no longer on the end."

"Ok, ok," Tony called everyone back to the task at hand. "With Blade's help, we have found the locations of several Hydra headquarters and safe houses. We even have the new location of the Baron's hideout. Now, unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't let us take them alone. Fury demands that he assist us in taking all these down. I adamantly refused and suggested that, instead of wasting time trying to take out useless pawns, we go straight for the king."

"Baron Strucker," Captain America clarified.

"Yes, the good Baron. And we already have a plan . . . ."

Blade marched into the main antechamber of Hydra's command center, where the Baron sat upon his throne. Samone's head was held high and a scowl covered her face as she dragged a chained Tony Stark behind her. Further back trailed several Hydra agents, all of whom weren't sure how to deal with the situation. Baron Strucker, on seeing his daughter frowned.

"Father!" Blade called. "Your men tried to attack me! I assure you, they were very sorry, but I'm confused. They all know that I work for you."

The Grim Reaper jumped forward, "The traitor! Remember what I told you, Baron, sir; she is a traitor! She attacked me and helped that Avenger. You can't trust her!"

The Baron held up his hand, making the Reaper flinch, "SILENCE!" then, he turned to his daughter before him, "My dear, what is it that this idiot tells me? I know it can't be true, but then why did you attack him?"

"First of all, because he's an idiot. And second of all, to gain the Avengers' trust. Now, look, father: I've brought you a present." She threw an armor-less Tony Stark onto the ground before her, with a grunt on Stark's part.

This brought a smile to the Baron's face, "Well done, my dear. If only my other followers were as intelligent as you," he directed the remark towards the Reaper, who took a step back, his face looking like he had eaten some very sour milk.

"If it isn't the Ironman! Or should I say, 'man', since you appear to be without the iron?"

"Actually," Tony spoke up, "it isn't really iron at all. That is just a common misconception brought on by the name . . . ." he trailed off as he received a kick from Blade.

"Oh, well look what the cat dragged in," came the venomous voice of Viper, as she entered the room with the Black Widow, neither of whom had ever liked Samone.

"Now the question is what to do with you," the baron was talking about Ironman, who was still lying on the ground, looking defiant as ever.

"Baron," Viper spoke up, "The rest of the Avengers are probably on their way here right now. We have to get ready . . ."

"Actually," Blade interrupted, "the Avengers believe Stark and I to be going to have a visit with Nick Fury. They won't know anything has happened to us for at least two days."

The Baron actually laughed at his daughter's ingenuity. "You may make a super-villain leader yet! Tomorrow we will have Stark moved to a different location and set up a trap for the Avengers here and there, just in case. By the end of this week, there will be no more Avengers!"

Four Hydra agents escorted Tony down to the incarceration center while the crowd that had gathered began to disperse. The Baron dismissed his daughter, saying that they would talk later, and went over to converse with Viper and the Widow.

That night, Samone left her room and went down to Tony's prison. She didn't bother trying to stay hidden from any guards on patrol; they knew better than to mess with her. When she arrived at the incarceration center, the guard let her in, and she promptly planted a knife in his back. Blade then hid the body in a weapons locker, just in case someone came along.

Then, she found a list of passcodes for the cells of the center. Locating Tony's, she committed the code to memory and found cell number twelve, where he was being kept. He, of course, had been expecting her.

Upon the opening of the door, Tony said, "About time. I was beginning to wonder if you had actually gone back to Hydra. You have the wristbands and the remote?"

Nodding, Blade took out two silver bracelets, which Tony placed on his wrists. Then, Samone handed him the remote that would activate his Mark VII armor.

"Remember Tony; wait for my signal. Then, summon the rest of the team. If everything works out alright, then I should be able to get the baron and maybe one of his henchmen. But you _have to wait for me to give my go_. Otherwise, someone may not be in position."

"Yea, yea. I know. This was my plan, remember?"

"Some of it, anyways. But I'm going to leave the door unlocked. That way, you won't cause a lot of noise by blasting it into pieces."

"Good luck. I'll see you up top."

Samone rushed out of the incarceration center and went back to her room, waiting for the coming of morning since sleep wouldn't come to her adrenaline-filled body.

At around seven, the Hydra complex came alive, as workers went about their work and their bosses directed them. The Black Widow came by Samone's room. Thankfully, Blade had already been prepared for this. On opening the door, Natasha said, "The baron would like to speak with you," in her purring Russian accent.

Samone followed the Widow to the Baron's audience chamber, the same room that the two of them had met in the day prior. Blade walked up the few steps to her father's throne. Dipping her head in respect, she said, "You summoned me, father?"

"Ah, yes, my dear. I had hoped that you would help me come up with a plan to deal with the Avengers."

Smiling sadistically, she replied, "It would be my genuine pleasure."

The baron laughed at this before launching into his many ideas. Samone was hardly listening. She checked to make sure that her tiny Bluetooth headset was in place. It had been modified by Tony in order to make it almost invisible to the naked eye. When the baron asked her opinion, she opened up the mic on her Bluetooth so that Tony could hear her say, "Yes, I think it is time," before cutting off her mic to finish, "that we took down the Avengers once and for all. This plan could very well be a success."

"Yes, I am rather fond of this idea," the Baron responded.

Ironman's voice sounded over her headset, "ETA ten minutes. I'm getting suited up."

Samone had to restrain herself from smiling. The previous night, she had gotten busy; freezing the camera feed on all security cameras, turning off alarms, and disabling communications devices. The Avengers would literally march in here as a total surprise. It was going to be great.


	8. Chapter 8

Hawkeye prepared himself at the doors to the room wherein lied the infamous Baron Strucker. The plan had gone exactly as expected and no one knew that the Avengers had infiltrated the Hydra complex, other than those that the team had already take out. Now, they could finally take down the monster that was behind all the atrocities. They were going to take down Hydra!

Cocky and calm as ever, the archer selected an arrowhead from his quiver, certain that it would be of the most use. Everyone else was tense, on edge, even sweating, but not Hawkeye; he was a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Many times before he had been in situations like this one, and he knew that he would be in many more. But he knew that there was a lot at stake here. Not just Baron Strucker, but Blade as well. If this didn't go swiftly and by the numbers, then the Baron just might be able to piece it together in time to have his daughter killed for her sharp betrayal. There was no way that would be happening while Hawkeye still breathed.

Captain America was leading the ambush. He stood in front of the large, closed double doors leading into the antechamber from where the Baron ruled his empire. The Hulk, the Black Panther, Wasp, and Hawkeye all stood in a semi-circle around him, listening to his directions.

". . . that we aren't supposed to touch Strucker; we are distracting him and Hydra to give Blade an opening to take him down. Do whatever you have to, just keep them occupied. In exactly one minute, we will burst into there at the exact same time as Stark and start reaping hell. Just make sure to keep an eye on Blade and the Baron; whatever else Strucker might be, he isn't stupid, so it won't take him long to figure out the weak link. Hopefully we can keep him distracted enough so that he won't have time to speak. Any questions?"

"Nope," Hawkeye said, "I'm pretty sure you covered it all . . . and then some."

Not picking up on Hawkeye's sarcasm, the Captain continued, "Right so on my mark . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . mark."

Throwing himself against the two double doors, the Steve Rogers burst into the room followed by the rest of his team . . . .


	9. Chapter 9

Even Samone jumped as the Avengers came crashing into the room, completely catching the Hydra agents off guard. None of them were able to react as the super-heroes took them down. The few that did react were slow and clumsy, and soon fell prey to the acrobatics of the Panther, the arrows of Hawkeye, the stingers of Wasp, the crushing strength of the Hulk, or the fist of Captain America. Even Samone's father stood awestruck, mouth hanging wide-open in complete surprise.

Knowing that now was the time to act, Blade pulled out a dagger and turned it so that the handle would be the striking side. Ironman now held the Baron's attention; it was the time to strike . . . . Then, just as she was swinging the hilt of the dagger at the Baron's head, Blade felt a strong hand close tightly around her wrist, bringing it to a halt in midair.

Whipping her head around, she looked into the cold, green eyes of Viper, whose face was twisted into a smirk of triumph. Viper began to twist Samone's arm backwards, but the Avenger reacted faster; she threw an open hand towards the assassin's face, forcing Viper to block the deadly blow. Unfortunately, Blade also lost her grip on the dagger, which clattered to the ground and was snatched up by Viper.

By then, the Baron was staring at his daughter, eyes wide in disbelief at the attempt at betrayal.

"Your orders sir?" Viper addressed to her leader.

"Take out this ungrateful bitch, but leave her alive."

Although she had chosen to leave her family, Blade couldn't help but feel slighted at her father's offhanded dismissal of her. She had at least thought that, even if his love for her vanished, he would still at least respect her initiative and considerable skill. Obviously, this was not the case.

Feeling the need to respond, she turned towards her father, "I . . ." but she never finished. Her face was met by a sharp back-handed blow, sending her sprawling to the ground on her left.

Hawkeye paused mid-draw as he saw Samone fall to the ground after being struck by her father. Her cover had been blown. The whole operation was about to fall apart just like that. And now, the Hydra agents were finally composing themselves and beginning to mount an offense. The Avengers would be forced to pull out soon, with or without the Baron . . . and with or without his daughter.

Hawkeye didn't think, he didn't have time, he just reacted. Throwing himself into the crowd of brawling Avengers and Hydra agents, he shoved both parties out of his way, desperation making him careless. Distantly, he heard his name shouted, but he paid no heed. At that moment in time, there was no time; there was only _her_. And she was about to be extinguished from his life just as abruptly as she had entered it.

Hawkeye finally reached the stairs to the Baron's raised platform upon which sat his throne and Hawkeye's imperiled love . . . love. The archer selected an arrow, and just when he felt the thrill of victory, he saw Viper raise her arm and throw her knife. Anguish welled up inside the Avenger, until he realized that Viper hadn't thrown the knife at Blade, but had thrown it at him, who now felt the sharp bite of the blade in his chest. The archer's body spasmed and threatened to give up on him, but he forced himself to stay conscious and upright. But, as soon as he took one step, he knew that he would never make it to Samone's side. As he felt himself collapse, he drew back his bow and released, hoping him arrow might hit something, anything that could save his Samone. The last thing he heard was a scream . . . .

Samone opened her eyes in time to see Viper draw back her arm to throw the knife. The newest Avenger prepared herself for the worst as she closed her eyes and said her silent goodbyes. Then, when nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see Viper grinning above her, knifeless.

"You missed," Blade accused the Hydra agent, in one last act of defiance.

"Did I?" the slippery bitch replied. Something in Viper's voice made Samone turn stone-cold.

That was when an arrow flew between the two women, causing Viper to flinch. Samone whipped her head around in time to see a pale and bleeding Hawkeye fall to the ground, his bow clattering to the ground. When Samone opened her mouth to curse Viper, only a scream came out; a scream filled with anguish and hopelessness that completely encompassed the ears of everyman in the room, making them all flinch. When her scream ran out of fuel, it finally faded out, leaving only the eerie echoing throughout the great hall.

All around her, chaos was amuck. Tony Stark, fighting off several Hydra agents, was brought down from flight by some technology that the agents threw at him. Captain America ducked out of the way of a gun, and retaliated by taking three agents down with his shield. Wasp was drawing the fire of several Hydra agents as a distraction, while the Black Panther snuck behind them and slashed them with his vibranium claws, before Wasp was taken out by one of the agents. The Hulk was giving the Hydra agents hell as he tore through them, throwing them right and left. All the while, more Hydra agents poured through the side entrances to aid their comrades.

Yet, through all this, Samone had only one thing on her mind: the fallen hero before her. She eventually crawled down the stairs and came to Hawkeye's side, not even thinking to get up and walk. Swallowing back the tears, she noticed how much blood was flowing so freely from the Avenger's chest, leaving a puddle of red in stock contrast with the polished marble floor around it. Refusing to believe the worst, she wrapped her arms around the archer, and brought his head to rest in her arms, feeling the fleeting pulse of blood pumping through his neck.

There wasn't much time left for Hawkeye, even she knew that. The wound was deadly, just to the right of the heart, probably right through a major artery.

Laughter above her made her look up. The Baron stood next to Viper, who looked as if she had just achieved world domination. Samone's father was _laughing_!

"So," Baron Strucker said, "this is why you have betrayed Hydra and your family? For this . . . this_ AVENGER_! You leave me, your father, who has given you everything in life, for our enemy, this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, who will never love anyone but himself?!"

Samone was unable to reply as the tears she had so futilely tried to hold back began to flow from her eyes. She had no answer; it did make no sense. The Avenger admitted that she was in love with Hawkeye, but why? He had never shown her any signs that he might return the affection, let alone that he knew she had feelings for him. And now, the archer would die without Blade having ever known the answer.

If there was one thing Samone had learned, it was that there was no such thing as good and evil. There were just sides that had different perspectives on things, they may even have the same goal, but different ways of going about it. No, there was so much more that had to hold a group of people together besides a common goal, or belief in right and wrong. The answer was love. Love, whether it be fatherly, sisterly, friendship, or true, unbreakable, earth-shattering love was what really held people together.

So, then, why had Samone switched sides? It wasn't because she thought the Avengers were better, it was because she no longer held a love of her father and what he was doing. But then, she was pulled over to the Avengers by a new love, a love for this man: Hawkeye.

But now that he was gone, what was there that still tied her to the Avengers? The answer came to her right there and then: nothing.


End file.
